MINDLESS
by Ms Okie Dokie
Summary: Can the Winchester Brothers help to save the small Nevada town of Baker from an ancient evil? Or will the ancient evil envelop them as well?
1. Chapter 1

_**MINDLESS**_

**Author's note: Just thought I'd let you all know that the creature in this story is purely fictional and any reference to an ancient language is all my own doing! - MsOkieDokie**

**Chapter 1**

Tammy took a tighter hold on Steve's hand as she strained to see ahead in the murky darkness. The small flashlight that Steve held didn't show much at all, except the locked metal grate covering the entrance to the Lehman Caves

A few yards behind her, she could hear Lisa giggling uncontrollably as Mike fumbled to get his hands inside her blouse. "Geez Mike! Your hands are absolutely freezing!"

"Be a lot warmer once they've found that warm fuzzy place they're lookin' for!" Mike said as began to nuzzle Lisa's neck.

"Will you two just stop that for a couple of minutes and help us get inside?" Steve said, anger in his voice as he shone the flashlight on the two over-sexed teens.

"Okay! Okay!" Mike said, a watermelon grin plastered on his face.

"And where the hell are JD & Mel?" Tammy asked, a worry crease appearing on her brow.

"We're here." Mel said, appearing into the small circle of light. "Just been hanging back and waiting – waiting for someone to get this party started!"

"Yeah. Was wondering when someone would be calling on my services." JD smiled. "I mean my dad is the only locksmith in town! Outta my way!" JD pushed past Tammy and Steve and fished out a key from his pocket. He inserted it into the lock and a small audible click was heard and the lock popped open. "Now then, grab the music machine, your girls and let's get this show on the road!" JD turned to Mike and high-fived him.

They followed the short, dark and damp trail to the entrance to the cave system.

"Here looks as good a place as any I guess." Steve said as he placed the heavy boombox down. "Let's go get some wood and make a fire." He left with JD to gather some wood from outside the cave.

Once the fire was popping and crackling, Steve turned to the boombox and pressed the play button issuing forth the loud and menacing tones of the _Red Hot Chili Peppers._

Mike grabbed Lisa's hand and pulled her forcefully towards him, his lips began to nuzzle against her neck again which brought forth Lisa's giggles once more.

Mel rummaged around in her backpack and produced a bottle of vodka. She twisted the cap off and took a healthy slug. "Whoa! That was good!" She said as the Vodka coursed down her throat. She then held the bottle out to JD. He also took a long drink.

The bottle was passed between them several times. Mel could feel the effects of the liquor making their mark as her head became pleasantly light and fuzzy.

As the night wore on, the couples either slowly swayed together to their own music or made out by the fire.

"JD! I said no!" Mel said pushing JD from on top of her. "I'm not ready for that!"

JD rolled onto his back and sighed. "Jeez Mel, you've been giving off the right signals all this week and now you go and turn into the ultimate cold fish! What's the deal with you?

Mel struggled to her feet and quickly walked away from the fire towards the back of the entrance cave; away from the light given off by the fire. She knew she'd been giving JD all the signs of wanting to go with him but deep down, she still felt the first pangs of worry and guilt as JD had rolled on top of her, pushing his knee between her legs and letting his hands wander under her shirt.

She turned and could just make out JD still lying on the blanket, his arms folded underneath his head. She sighed deeply, leaning against the hard, cold rock wall thinking that she was perhaps very lucky indeed that JD had chosen her out of all the girls that had been throwing themselves at him at school. She had been the quiet one who stood back but he had spied her out and immediately went to work to win her over.

She sighed again. Something then caught her eye. She was sure she had seen a shadowy something moving out of the corner of her eye. She shifted her gaze but saw nothing or did she? Mel peered into the darkness, squinting her eyes in order to try and make anything out. She slowly began to take steps deeper into the cave, trying to customize her eyes to the growing darkness.

"Is someone there?" She asked in a whispered tone. Her voice sounded loud in her own ears but there was no response. As Mel stared intently into the darkness, a cold sensation enveloped her body causing a shiver to run down her spine. She shuddered involuntarily.

"_Come."_ She heard this small child-like voice inside her head.

Her eyes glazed over and without hesitation, Mel walked forward into the forbidding darkness.

_**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**_

JD woke from his doze with a start. His eyes flew open and felt a mild state of anxiety grip him. He sat up and looked around taking in the sight of Tammy and Steve lying close together, deep in conversation and Mike and Lisa were in the throes heated foreplay – getting close to the stage where they'd be needing a room, JD thought.

He looked around for Mel expecting to see her sitting on the other side of the fire with a sulky look on her pretty little face. A small smile crossed his face as he thought about the first time he had laid eyes on Mel. The first thing he had noticed was her awesomely hot body. The way she filled her jeans was enough for him to want to try and get into those jeans.

Mel was not there. In fact, he couldn't see her anywhere nearby. He got up and picked up the flashlight and began to walk around looking for her. "Mel?" He called quietly into the dark cave.

"I'm here." Came her reply from just up ahead. He shone the light on her, the rays catching a sparkle in her eyes. Mel slowly approached JD and reached out her hand towards him.

JD's smile broadened as he went forward and took her hand but the smile soon faded from his chiselled features and turned into a grimace of pure pain. His mouth began to move like a fish out of water but no sound came out. Tears began to stream down his face and mucous ran from his nose. His body began to gyrate and shudder – every nerve seemed to be stretched to its limits and beyond.

The tears that were streaming from his eyes turned to tears of blood as they coursed down his cheeks and onto his shirt and at the same time, blood began to spurt from his ears. JD emitted unintelligible garbled noises as his bladder also released its contents.

Then, as quickly as it had started, JD's body was released from its invisible hold as Mel let go of his hand. He stood unassisted for another few seconds, his eyes staring vacantly before falling in a heap on the floor at Mel's feet.

JD took 2 shuddering deep breaths and then lay silent and still as Mel stood looking down at him. "_Sheksah."_ She whispered.

_**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**_

Steve leaned forward and gently pushed a piece of Tammy's auburn hair from her eye as she lay beside him asleep. He then heard a soft shuffling sound and quickly turned to look around.

"Holy crap Mel! You just scared the crap outta me!" He said breathlessly.

"_Sheksah."_ Mel whispered.

The fate that had befallen on JD now began to happen to Steve – within seconds he lay dead as Tammy began to stir next o him.

As Tammy's eyes flickered open and gained focus on the body of her bloody and dead boyfriend, a low moaning scream began to issue forth from her little body but before anything could happen, she began to struggle for breath as blood began to pour from her eyes and ears and then ceased to breathe anymore.

Mel stood staring down at the dead bodies of her friends – her face totally void of any expression

"Oh my God Mel! What the hell happened?" Mike asked, as he came up behind her with a complete look of fear on his face. Lisa just stood staring the bodies of her friends unable to issue any sound whatsoever.

Mel wheeled around to face them and raised her hand. The fate that had been bestowed on JD, Steve and Tammy now came to visit them also. Less than a minute later, Lisa and Mike also lay dead next to the small fire.

Mel's blank eyes stared at the bodies before her - an evil grin fixed in place. She raised her eyes to the ceiling of the cave, _"Crantsakou frelos heelosim pratyun Sheksah!" _she screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sam looked sideways at Dean who was in the unusual position of the passenger seat of the Impala; his head gently resting against the window – eyes closed.

Their last hunt had been a pretty severe haunting. The spirit had taken a particular dislike to Dean and tried on every occasion to smash Dean into several pieces. He was now covered in bruises and abrasions from head to toe. But stoically didn't complain too much as Sam had tended all the abrasions.

Sam reached out for the volume control to cut off the gravelly and rough tones of Bonn Scott screaming his way through _"High Voltage Rock and Roll"_. As his fingers found the control, Dean's hand snaked out and grabbed Sam's wrist.

"Don't touch Sammy." Dean said, his eyes now wide open.

"Aw c'mon Dean! What happened to your old motto about the driver picking the music?" Sam protested.

"Well now," Dean shrugged. "My car – my music – my rules. New motto. End of story."

"Sometimes Dean, I swear that there is no way we could ever possibly be related." Sam sighed.

"So Sammy! How long until we get there?" Dean asked as he sat up, changing the subject.

"Huh? What did you say? Can't hear you over the music Dean." Sam said with a small grin as he kept his eyes planted firmly on the road in front of him.

"Okay, okay, enough, Mister smartass college boy!" Dean said turning off the music. "So how long then?"

"I'd say maybe another hour." Sam replied.

Within the hour they had reached their destination of The Border Inn at Baker, Nevada.

Dean unlocked the door and swung it open, surveying their 'home' for the next few nights. "Not bad. Not bad at all." Dean smiled his approval.

Sam walked in and deposited their bags on the floor. "Seems more up market than what we're used to." He said, as he checked out the bathroom.

"Considering it's the only place to stay within a 50-mile radius." Dean said, throwing himself down on one of the king-size beds. "How about we just hang around here and go visit the caves after lunch? Which reminds me, I'm starving!"

Sam shut the door to the cabin and then began to fish around in his bag for his laptop. "You and your stomach Dean! Don't you think we need to go and see the only survivor first? See if we can get her side of the story? That is," Sam shrugged, "if there is any side to her story."

Dean shrugged. "If you say so, boss. But I say we have something to eat first."

Sam rolled his eyes and sat down at the table, opening up the laptop. "Lemme do a bit of research first,"

Dean sat up and swung his legs off the bed. "C'mon Sam. I'm staving over here!"

Sam looked over at this brother, a frown creasing his brow. "Gimme a minute Dean."

Dean rolled his eyes and sat on the bed, tapping his foot.

After several minutes of silence, Sam came up with the relevant information he had been hoping for. "Melody Grainger. They're holding her at the local police station pending the investigation into the other killings. Says here that she claims to know nothing of what happened that night. She claims the last thing she remembers is hearing a child-like voice calling to her. When she came out of it, she was surrounded by the dead bodies of her friends."

"Okay then. Guess it's time to go FBI. But first we eat!" Dean said, getting up off the bed and grabbing the keys to the Impala from the small cabinet by the door.

_**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**_

As they climbed out of the Impala, Dean tugged at his tie for what seemed like the hundredth time to Sam. "Dean! Will you leave your damn tie alone! Anybody'd think it was choking you!"

"It damn well is! Or it's tryin' to! They should've called these things nooses, not ties!"

Sam sighed and began to walk towards the police station.

Upon entering, both Dean and Sam walked straight up to the front desk where a junior police officer was sitting and staring off into space.

"Excuse me." Sam said pushing his fake FBI ID card into the young policeman's face. "I'm FBI detective Taylor and this is my partner detective Young. We're here to interview a suspect you have in custody by the name of Melody Grainger."

The young constable blinked several times before speaking. "Oh! Yeah! Sure! I'll just let Sergeant Mercer know you're here." He picked up the phone and pushed the correct buttons to contact the Sergeant. "Ah yeah Sarg, I've got two FBI agents out here….yeah….they're here to see Melody Grainger….yeah, sure." He hung up the phone and turned back to Sam. "He's coming out – won't be long."

Literally within seconds, a door at the other end of the room opened and a very large and extremely well-muscled police officer crossed the room towards them. "I'm Sergeant Dan Mercer. Young Paul here tells me you're here to see Melody Grainger?"

"That's right. We're conducting an investigation into the deaths of the other 5 kids." Dean said.

"Funny thing is, I received a phone call yesterday saying you guys weren't due down here until early next week." Sergeant Mercer said as he gazed at both Dean and Sam in turn. "Care to explain gentlemen?"

"Change of plans." Dean said quickly. "Look, sergeant, we don't have time to keep explaining ourselves to people, so if you could just take us to the Grainger girl, we'll get our job done and be out of here before you know it."

The air hung heavy with silence as the Sergeant deliberated over what Dean had just told him. His stared went in turn from Dean to Sam and then back to Dean again. "Follow me." He finally said and turned to walk down a corridor. At the last door, he once more turned back to Sam and Dean. "You two take it easy on this girl – she's a complete mess. Her family are my neighbors and friends." He fished into his pocket and produced a keyring. He selected the right key and pushed it home into the lock.

He opened the door slowly and stepped inside. "Mel? I've got some people here from the FBI who want to ask you some questions."

As Sam and Dean entered into the room, they took in the sight of Melody Grainger lying huddled on a small cot. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater. Her hair was unkempt and her face was pale with dark circles standing out under her eyes.

She looked up at the Sergeant and slowly sat up. "More questions." She said quietly, a sigh escaping her.

"We'll try not to take up too much of your time. I'm Detective Taylor & this is my colleague Detective Young." Dean said.

Mel looked up at him, a weak smile playing on her lips. "Time? I've got more time than I know what to do with at the moment. So you go on and ask me your questions."

"I'll leave you to it then." Sergeant Mercer said quietly to Sam as he left the room.

Sam and Dean sat down as Mel joined them at the table.

"I guess you want me to tell you what happened up at the cave." Mel said

"As much information as you can provide us with will help with our enquires." Sam said as he flipped open his notepad.

Mel went through the whole night as she remembered it. "…and the next thing I remember I standing there in front of…of… Mike and Lisa. They, they were….." Mel's voice turned into a whisper as she thought about her two friends and then she instinctively ripped several tissues from the box on the table. "I tried to find my way out of there but I got lost in the forest for the rest of the night." She stopped and looked up at Sam and Dean in turn. "I got lost in the forest! The forest that I've tracked through hundreds of times before! The rangers found me the next morning not far from the entrance to the cave."

"And you don't remember anything at all about what happened?" Sam asked.

"I just told you everything I can remember!" Mel said, beginning to tear the tissues into shreds. "But there is something that I think I remember… but I'm not sure….." Mel's words trailed off.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. "Go on." Sam said.

"_Sheksah._" She whispered.

Dean frowned. "Shreksa?"

Mel looked at Dean and repeated the word slowly "_Sheksah._ I don't know why but that word keeps coming to me. What does it mean? Do you know? Am I crazy? Did I kill all my friends? Perhaps I need to be locked up!"

Sam offered Mel a weak smile "Let's get to the bottom of this all first. We 'll look into it and see what we can come up with." Sam said, as he wrote the word down in block letters. "We really appreciate your co-operation in this matter."

"What other choice do I have?" Mel said with a strained smile.

Both Dean and Sam stood up. "We'll be in touch." Dean said.

Sam rapped on the door and it immediately opened to the Sergeant. The brothers filed past him and stood waiting as he checked on Melody and then locked the door again. "So, how did it go?" He asked.

"We've got the whole story. Now all we have to do is go over the details and check it all out. The next thing we need to do is see the remains of the victims." Dean said. "Can you arrange that for us?"

"I'll call through to the hospital and arrange it for you now." The Sergeant shook Dean's hand and then Sam's. "I gather's you're staying in town for a few days then?"

"Yeah. We're staying at the The Border Inn." Sam said.

"Couldn't do worse than the Border Inn. Nice place and nice family business – Paul and Marina will look after you. Well, I'll give you a call to fill you in on the details for your hospital visit soon," Sergeant Mercer gave them a smile and disappeared up the corridor.

"_Sheksah._" Sam said as he looked at the word he had written on his note pad.

"Any idea about it genius child?" Dean said as he turned the car into the parking lot of the Border Inn.

Sam looked perplexed. "Nope. Guess I'll have to do some research."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sam leaned into the hard backed chair, raising his hands above his head to stretch out the tight muscles in his shoulders. "This is driving my crazy!"

Dean's eyes fluttered open as he woke from his light sleep. "Huh?"

"I can't find a damn thing about whatever _Sheksah_ is! I've scanned every known damn web site and not a thing! Nothing!" Sam ran a hand over his face and through his hair.

Dean sat up and smiled. "You mean to tell me that you – geek boy of the century – can't find the answer? Mark that down in your diaries folks!"

"Shut up." Sam said with a frown.

"Aw, have I hurt you're feelings Sammy? C'mon over here and your big brother'll give you a hug to make you feel better!"

"Get a life Dean." Sam mumbled as he stood up. "Gonna get me a soda. Want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good." Dean said a huge grin still plastered over his face.

Sam left the room and walked the short distance to the soda machine, fishing in his pocket for loose change. He deposited the necessary coins into the machine and selected his soda, listening to the clunks as the machine sent the correct drink down into the shute.

Sam pulled the ring tab and took a healthy slug of the drink before he realized that he wasn't alone. Standing beside him was a young boy – perhaps 6 or 7 with shaggy blonde hair. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and was standing perfectly still looking up at Sam.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked. "Are you lost?"

"You won't find anything." The little boy replied, his gaze unwavering from Sam's face.

Sam frowned down at him. "Huh? Did you lose….."

Before Sam could continue, the young boy cut him off. "_Sheksah_. _Frelos heelosim_. I am here and I am not. _Prestin sato pirnist Sheksah._ Go away and stay away. Or pay the price."

Sam blinked rapidly several times and stared down at the little boy. "Wha…what's going on?"

The little boy physically shuddered as his eyes glazed over and then cleared before he suddenly turned and began to run away from Sam. Sam stared after the retreating figure trying to fathom what had just happened. He took a deep breath; the scowl returning to his face.

He turned and began to walk slowly back to the room, the words the boy had said still ringing in his ears.

As Sam pushed open the door to the motel room, he stopped and turned back to the parking lot, once more scanning the lot to try and find any evidence of the little boy. Sam couldn't spot and single person anywhere nearby.

Dean came up behind Sam and looked over his shoulder. "What's going on? Something exciting happening out there?"

"Not sure. Perhaps nothing." Sam relayed what had just happened near the soda machine.

"And this kid said that word again, _Sheksah._" Dean said with a frown.

"And a whole string of other words too. There has to be something to all of this." Sam said, once more sitting down in front of his laptop, his soda now forgotten.

"Well, while you were out making new friends, we've got an appointment at the morgue. So let's go Hayley Joel and check out some dead people." Dean said, grabbing his keys off the dresser.

Within half an hour, they were entering the lower levels of the hospital, the drab grey walls making an intimidating scene. As they approached the entry doors, Sam leaned over and pressed the button marked entry. The doors slid open in front of them. The brothers slowly entered the huge room, a blast of icy air greeting them.

The sounds of someone attempting to whistle drew their attention to one of the room where someone dressed in hospital scrubs was hunched over an examination table.

"Go and see what he's doing." Dean whispered as he nudged Sam.

Sam turned and frowned at his brother. "Dean. You are sick! I'm not gonna do anything like that!"

"Go on Sammy. Go check it out."

"Dean, get a life!" Sam said with exasperation. "If you're so keen, you go on over there!"

That was when the whistling mortician turned around and faced them. "Can I help you gentlemen?" He asked in a very refined English accent.

"Ah, we're looking for Doctor Carmody." Sam half smiled.

"So it appears you've found him but I seem to be at a distinct disadvantage. Could you please fill me in on whom you both are and what you are doing here?

Dean reached for his ID and lifted it up and he slowly approached the Doctor. "Detectives Young and Taylor. Sergent Mercer would have been in contact with you advising you of our visit."

"Ah yes. Dan did call me not long ago." Dr Carmody said as he removed a very bloodstained pair of latex gloves and deposited them in a refuse bin. "And what can I do for you?"

"We'd like to see the bodies of the victims from the Lehmann Cave tragedy." Dean replied.

Dr Carmody sighed deeply. "Such a terrible thing to happen to those poor young folk. Follow me." Dr Carmody turned and began to walk towards a row of cold chambers which were located towards the rear of the room. "Let's start with young Mr Steven Ricci, shall we?"

The doctor pulled on the handle for the door and swung it open, reaching inside to pull out the tray containing the body of Steven Ricci.

"Here you go." Doctor Carmody lifted the sheet covering the body. "As far as I can tell, all these young people died due to a massive brain aneurism. The only physical evidence being blood trails from their ears and eyes. When I checked their internal organs there was nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever. Now the brain on the other hand….. quite interesting indeed."

Both Sam and Dean looked at the body, their eyes drawn to the skull which was missing the top half exposing what lay inside.

"I think we've seen enough - you don't need to go on Doctor – we get the picture." Sam said, the color in his face draining away.

"Yes, yes, of course. So you don't wish to see any of the others?" He queried.

"I think we've seen enough." Dean said, the color of his skin matching that of his brother's. "Thank you for your time."

Sam and Dean both turned and left the morgue much more quickly than when they arrived. Their pace only slowing as they approached the end of the grey corridor at the lift.

Dean leaned against the wall sucking in huge deep breaths. "I swear I never wanna see that ever again!"

Sam repeatedly jabbed at the lift call button. "I really need to get outta here!"

The lift finally arrived and the brothers stumbled in and once more Sam began to repeatedly jab at the button to take them up to the ground floor. As the doors slid open, both Dean and Sam fought to get out of the lift first, Sam finally winning and heading straight out the front doors of the hospital, only stopping when he was a good distance from the entrance.

Dean finally caught up to him and without any words, they made their way to the sanctuary of the Impala.

Once back at the motel, Dean didn't stop the engine. "I'm gonna go into town and ask around. Perhaps there's some local legend or folklore that we don't know about."

Dean drove the short distance into town and parked the Impala in front of the local hardware store. As he entered the building, a small tinny bell sounded his arrival. He walked up to the counter and stood waiting for someone to appear.

After a minute, Dean began to grow impatient – patience not one of his stronger virtues. "Ah hello? Anyone around?" He called, rapping on the counter.

"Sorry! Be with you shortly." Came a man's voice from the back room. After another minute, the owner of the voice appeared. "Afternoon, how can I help?"

Dean smiled engagingly – this one of his strongest virtues. "Ah, me and my brother are on a roadtrip and we're in town for a couple of days and came across something which seemed a little unusual to us and was wondering if perhaps you or someone you know might be able to help us out."

The middle-aged man behind the counter grinned back at Dean. "Well now, why don't you just fill me in and I'll see if I can help you out."

"Well, my brother Sam is very interested in exploring caves and their history. The Lehman Caves close to here, do they have any history? I mean, Sam – my brother – kept hearing someone say some sort of word that sounded kinda ancient and he was just trying to figure out if the caves had an ancient Indian background or anything like that. There was this one word which kept coming up – _Sheksah_. Have you ever heard that before?

"_Sheksah_. Can't say I've ever heard that before or anything like it. But them Lehman Caves do have a little history behind them. Not that long ago – about 4-5 months to be precise – they were doing some exploring in one of the caves and came across some ancient burial site. The folks that were leading the dig had a massive argument about what kind of a find they'd made. Some of 'em were saying they were South American and some were saying Indian – can't say there'd be that much difference. Then a week later, 2 of the group were found dead at the mouth of the cave. Some that saw their bodies say they was drained of all their blood but don't take that as Gospel mind! Stories tend to get larger than life around here. And now last week, those young local kids….. just plain sad is what it is."

Dean reached out his hand to the local shopkeeper. "Thanks very much for your time sir."

"Please call me Tom and you are?"

"Dean. Dean Winston. Thanks again."

Dean said his goodbyes and went back out to the car. He made his way back to the motel room to find Sam once more hunched over the laptop.

Sam looked up briefly when Dean came in. "Anything?"

"Perhaps. Tom from the hardware store said that 4-5 months ago there were 2 more deaths at the Caves – apparently they had just discovered some ancient burial site with bones and then a couple of days later were found dead. Tom said that rumour had it that they were bled dry."

"Hm, perhaps I can find something about that on the net. It may give us some more to go on." Sam said as he began to tap at the keyboard again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Dean parked the Impala in the parking lot of the Lehman Caves and just sat behind the wheel. "So, this _Sheksah_ legend originated in South America? How the hell did it end up here?"

Sam looked across at his brother. "Good question. From what information I could gather, the _Sheksah_ or _La Sheksah Legono_ as named by the inhabitants of a small town in the south of Colombia called Florencia goes back a lot farther than any records. Local legends report of incidents with townsfolk having been found in pools of blood which apparently came from their eyes and ears. But there's nothing to show how the _Sheksah_ legend got from Colombia to Nevada."

"So what do you think? Should we perhaps come back after hours and take a look around? Too many folks around to do it now." Dean said, his eyes taking in several tourists making their way towards the entrance.

Sam gazed at a family consisting of mom, dad and two little girls. All had huge grins plastered on their faces as they almost skipped towards the entrance to the caves. "Yeah. Let's come back after dark."

**_SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN_**

It was a little after 9pm when they once again pulled up in the parking lot of the Lehman Caves.

Dean went to the boot of the Impala and retrieved a handgun which he then handed to Sam and then picked up one for himself. He then picked up two flashlights and also handed one of these to Sam.

They quietly scaled the fence and stealthily made their way towards the entrance to the cave system.

They came upon a steel gate with a padlock at the entrance to one of the caves. Sam retrieved his kit for picking locks. Quickly and quietly he secured their entrance to the cave.

After a few minutes following the trail slightly downhill, they came across another steel gate. Once more, Sam secured their access. Another minute and they came to a fork in the passage.

"I'll take the left." Dean said. "Meet back here in 15."

With a nod of his head, Sam started off down the right hand passage as Dean departed down the other.

Dean followed the passage, the small round circle from his flashlight only illuminating the immediate path in front of him. Every so often, he would swing the light upwards, taking in the sight of stalactites and magical flowstones which had been created over the ages.

Checking his watch, he decided to turn and head back to meet up with Sam. He traversed the passage back to the fork where he had left Sam.

Dean shone his flashlight down the passage Sam had taken but no sign of his brother. He leaned against the wall and began to wait for his brother. After about 3 minutes of waiting, he grew impatient. Once more, Dean shone his flashlight down the passage, "SAM!" He waited for a response. Nothing. "SAMMY!" Still nothing.

Dean began to cautiously walk down the passage; his senses becoming even more alert than before. "I swear Sam, if this is your idea of a joke…." He mumbled under his breath.

Dean continued down the passage until he rounded a corner and almost walked straight into the back of his brother. "Jesus Sam! What the hell are you playing at?" Dean asked, gently giving Sam a shove in the middle of his back.

Sam didn't respond to his brother's voice. He just stood completely still, his back towards him.

Dean cautiously moved around in front of his brother. "Sam?" He asked as he moved the light from his torch towards his brother's face. The sight that Dean took in him left him stunned and speechless.

Sam's eyes were vacant – as Dean would have said – the lights were on but no-one was at home. Dean waved a hand in front of Sam's eyes and there was no trace of acknowledgement or even a flinch from Sam.

"Damn it Sam! What the hell happened?" Dean hissed. "What's got into y…" Before he could finish his sentence, Sam took a deep breath and a low moaning sound began to escape from his throat.

"_Sheksah_. _Frelos heelosim_." The voice that Sam emitted did not sound like his own. It had a childlike quality.

Dean grabbed Sam on his upper arms tightly. "Sam! Wake up!" He began to shake Sam none too gently. "Get a grip Sammy!"

Sam still stared straight ahead, the moaning sound still coming from deep in his throat. "_Sheksah_. _Frelos heelosim_." He wailed loudly.

"Sammy! C'mon man, wake up! Snap out of it! Damn it!" Dean said loudly as he continued to hold on tightly to Sam's arms.

Sam then lifted his head and stared straight up at the hewn stone roof above them. _"Crantsakou frelos heelosim pratyun Sheksah!"_ The loudness of Sam's voice made Dean take an involuntary step away from him.

"Jesus Sammy! C'mon now, snap outta this!" Dean said as he continued to watch his brother. Once more, he approached Sam, not really knowing what he had to do to get his brother back from this trance-like state.

Dean lifted his hand and quickly swept it across Sam's face. Sam's head snapped sideways and then returned back to staring straight ahead. The _thwack_ sound from Dean's hand meeting Sam's cheek reverberated around the passage but still Sam did not wake up.

Dean once more lifted his hand and again swept it across Sam's face. "C'mon Sam! Wake up damn it!"

It was then that Sam began to blink rapidly and his eyes began to focus on his brother. "Dean?" He asked inquisitively. "What's going on? Why did you just hit me?" Sam put a hand up to his cheek.

Dean took a huge cleansing breath before he could talk. "You were in some sort of a trance or something. You kept mumbling some of those old crazy words."

"The last thing I remember was walking down the passage and I heard a noise behind me and when I turned around, nothing was there. And the next thing I know is you're slapping me across the face!"

"I think we'd better get out of this place. Something's not right." Dean said.

"I'm with you there bro." Sam said, retrieving his flashlight from the floor.

They made their way out of the cave system and back to the relative safety of their motel room.

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**Sam made his way down the passage, his ears straining to hear anything unfamiliar. He stopped to check his watch and decided it was time to turn back when he heard what he thought was the sound of someone breathing.**

He stood perfectly still and listened intently – definitely was not alone. He turned quickly to confront whoever/whatever was behind him.

The flashlight picked up nothing behind him at all. Sam screwed up his eyes, trying in vain to focus his attention on the small round circle of light from his flashlight.

"Hello?" He almost whispered. Nothing. "Anyone there?" Nothing.

"_Sheksah_. _Frelos heelosim_. _Prestin sato pirnist Sheksah._ You were warned to go away and stay away." The words echoed around Sam – seeming to come from every direction. His vision began to blur.

When his vision began to return, he felt someone slap him across the face – not once but twice, followed by Dean's voice; "C'mon Sam! Wake up damn it!"

"Dean?" He asked inquisitively. "What's going on? Why did you just hit me?" Sam could feel the string where Dean's slap had connected.

"The last thing I remember was walking down the passage and I heard a noise behind me and when I turned around, nothing was there. And the next thing I know is you're slapping me across the face!"

"I think we'd better get out of this place. Something's not right." Dean said.

"I'm with you there bro." Sam said, retrieving his flashlight from the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter **5

The constant rapping on the front door finally brought both Sam and Dean out of their slumber.

Sam struggled out of the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans as quickly as his sleep muddled brain would let him whilst Dean was still struggling to fight his way out of the twisted bed clothes that seemed to be strangling him.

Sam opened the door to Paul Burke – one half of the proprietors of the Border Inn Motel.

"Thank God! I've been knocking for ages!" Paul began. "The police station just called and asked if you'd get down there straight away. Something's happened but they wouldn't tell me what!"

"Sure, okay. Thanks." Sam said as he closed the door on the worried face of the proprietor.

Dean had finally released himself from the strangling bedclothes and was struggling to pull his jeans on. "What's the matter?"

"Seems like something's happened down at the police station and they rang the motel to get us out there." Sam relayed as he headed for the bathroom.

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Dean parked the Impala across the road from the police station and turned off the ignition. There seemed to be a hive of activity and also parked haphazardly outside was an ambulance – its back doors swung open but no-one inside.

"Definitely not your average run-of-the-mill small town police station activity going on in there." Dean mused.

They climbed out of the Impala and crossed the street, walking towards the entrance to the police station, skirting around the ambulance.

"Sorry you can't go in there." Said the young police officer on duty, spreading his hands to bar entry. Sam and Dean both reached into their pockets and produced their fake ID. The officer squinted at the ID's before waving them through.

Once inside the police station, they noticed Sergeant Mercer sitting in one of the plastic chairs reserved for visitors, his head tipped back as a paramedic tended to cuts on his face.

"Sergeant Mercer." Dean said as they approached him.

Sergeant Mercer slowly brought his head up and opened his eyes. "Detective Young." He replied.

"What's going on? What happened here?" Dean asked.

Sergeant Mercer stood up as the paramedic began to remonstrate to him about staying still. "I'm fine Tom. I'm okay." He patted the paramedic on the arm and walked towards Sam and Dean. "We had what you might call an incident."

Sam and Dean looked at each other and then back to the officer. "What kind of incident?" Sam asked.

"Come and see for yourself." Sergeant Mercer led the way down the corridor towards the room where they had interviewed Melody Grainger. The door was ajar and as they entered the room the carnage became obvious to them. The small cot in the far corner was turned upside down and all the bed covering flung to the far corners. The table from the middle of the room was up against the wall opposite, 2 of the four legs bent beyond recognition. The chairs were also bent out of shape lying next to the table.

Sam then noticed a crumpled sheet covering something at the far end of the room.

Sgt Mercer noticed Sam looking at the sheet. "That's Melody." He said quietly.

"What happened?" Sam asked quietly, shock registering in his voice.

"Got a call from the night duty officer. He was in a mad panic – dribbling on about how Melody was going psycho and was throwing herself around the room and screaming like a banshee. I hightailed it right here and when I went in to check on her, she was up against the wall – it was almost like she was being pinned there! As I came up to her, I could see the terror in her eyes…." Mercer's voice trailed away.

Sam and Dean waited patiently for him to continue.

Mercer's body let out a little shudder before he continued. "I grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her towards me. She fell into my arms like a rag doll. When I put her on the floor and looked at her, blood was coming from her eyes and nose. She was trying to talk when all of a sudden her body began to shake so violently that she began to skitter across the floor away from me."

Mercer closed his eyes and took in a huge cleansing breath. "I kept a hold on her and tried to stop her shaking. She kept looking at me – she looked like she was pleading with me to help her! Then all of a sudden she grabbed me around the throat and began to strangle the life outta me! It took 3 other guys to grab her off me and hold her down but she kept trying to scratch my eyes out! Then all of a sudden, she just went limp and that was all, she was dead." Mercer glanced over at the sheet which covered her body. "We called the paramedics but she was dead."

Dean walked over to the body and knelt down beside it. He carefully pulled back the sheet and had to stop himself from quickly throwing the sheet back over Melody's body. Her eyes were wide open and trails of blood had dried on her cheeks where it had run from her eyes and nose. Her mouth was wide open. To Dean, it looked like she had died of sheer terror. He gently placed the sheet back over her and stood up.

"Just don't know how I'm gonna tell her parents." Mercer said. "Such a good kid."

Sam looked around the room. "Melody did all this?"

"Yeah. Ross said that when he heard the commotion and came into the room she was like some kind of crazy woman. Said she was screaming something he couldn't make out and she was tossing everything around the room like they were matchsticks! Damn!"

Tom the paramedic then approached the Sergeant. "Ah Dan, can we take Mel…. the body to the hospital now?"

"Yeah sure Tom." Sergeant Mercer replied, a look of resignation crossing his face. He then turned back to Sam and Dean. " I guess I need to go out and tell Jim and Kathy what's happened."

The brothers left the police station at the same time at the Sergeant and climbed into the Impala.

Instead of turning over the starter, Dean sighed heavily, "This is just getting too damn weird Sam." He said, running a hand over his face. "You shoulda see her Sam….. the look on her face was pure terror."

"I think we need dig a little deeper into this." Sam stated as he stared off into space. "It's getting weird."

Dean looked across at his brother. "Dude, it's more than weird." He pushed the key into the ignition and then hesitated. "Perhaps there's something in dad's journal. But first things first," Dean turned the ignition key. "It's time for breakfast."

Sam closed his eyes and groaned. "For God's sake Dean! Is that all you can think about?"

Dean smiled, "An army marches on its stomach Sammy! And this army is mighty hungry!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Virginia stood at the counter of the empty diner, vacantly staring out at the also empty street. She sighed deeply, putting her elbows resting on the counter and leaning her chin on her hands.

"Feelin' a bit blue Ginny?" Came Kurt's voice from behind her.

She sighed again and turned to face the older man. "Just thinking how much I need to get the hell outta this town. Too many memories."

"And if you left, who would I have to annoy me then?" Kurt said ruffling Virginia's short blonde hair. "Cheer up girl. Things will change, guarantee it."

A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "I hope so Kurt. Coz this town is gonna drive me crazy. And with all that's been happening lately…." Ginny shuddered at the thought of all the recent deaths that had occurred. "I think this town is turning freaky. If it wasn't so early I'd have a drink or two…or three."

The bell above the entrance doorway jingled and drew their attention that way. Virginia's face lit up when she saw the 2 handsome men walking her way. The taller of the two sporting a scruffy hairdo with dancing hazel eyes which caught her attention as he smiled at her.

She then shifted her attention to the other one – her breath caught in her throat. Handsome was somewhat of an understatement! Her eyes locked with his eyes – his green eyes – his amazing green eyes. She felt her grin widen even further.

They came closer and closer and Ginny's inner voice kept repeating over and over "Be cool; be cool; be cool." She managed a big smile as the brothers sat down at the counter in front of her. "Morning. What can I get you?"

"I'll just have some coffee." Sam said, smiling at her again and then turning to look at his brother.

"And I'll have the big breakfast with some coffee as well." Dean's eyes left the large blackboard menu and turned to Ginny, noting her nametag and adding, "Ginny!"

"Coming right up." She turned away and walked slowly towards the kitchen. She could still feel Dean's eyes on her and a huge smile spread across her face.

Sam shook his head. "Why do you do that Dean?"

Dean frowned and turned his attention to his brother. "Do what? What'd I do?"

"That waitress – Ginny. You were checking her out Dean! Do you think she didn't know?"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Well, not a bad package to look at Sammy and besides not a bad distraction!"

Sam tutted and slowly shook his head. "I swear Dean, you seem to be on some sort of mission to score with every female you encounter."

Dean's grin widened. "Now that's not a bad idea Sam! Not bad at all!"

Ginny returned with 2 mugs of coffee and placed them down in front of them. "Anything else I can help you with?"

"Not right now thanks." Dean said, making eye contact once again with Ginny and poured all his charm into his beguiling smile. Ginny seemed in no hurry to break the contact but Kurt calling her from the kitchen made the decision for her. "So Sam, what do you think is going on around here? Think it's got something to do with that Colombian thingie?"

"I'd say so but we gotta find the connection. How did the legend end up here? It's not like Columbia is a couple of miles away. And besides that, we have to find some way to get rid of it." Sam lapsed into silence, his hands wrapped around the mug of coffee as he stared into it.

Dean sat patiently waiting for his brother to continue but soon grew impatient. "Hello? Earth to Sam? Wanna let me in on your thoughts?"

"Nuthin' really. Just trying to wrap my head around things. Perhaps someone is controlling all this. Y'know mind control or something."

Dean shrugged. "I get it. Like Kirano in the Thunderbirds was bein' controlled by that dude with the glowing eyes!"

Sam frowned. "Dean, what are you on about?"

"Surely you remember! Y'know his eyes used to glow and poor old Kirano would end up rolling around on the floor wailing!"

Ginny then appeared and put down a huge breakfast plate in front of Dean. "Enjoy your meal."

"I'm sure I will." Dean said and winked at her.

Without hesitation, Ginny grabbed a napkin and scrawled down something, handed it to Dean and went back into the kitchen.

Dean read the information and stuffed the napkin into his coat pocket.

"And what was that?" Sam asked.

"Her phone number. What else would it be?"

"And?" Sam said with a frown.

"And what?" Dean replied and took a huge mouthful of food.

Sam blew out a loud breath. "I guess you're going out tonight then?"

"Kinda seems that way." Dean then consumed the rest of his breakfast without uttering another word.

"Would you like anything else?" Ginny asked, holding up the coffee jug.

"No thanks" Sam smiled at Ginny and then turned to Dean. "I'm gonna head on out to the car."

Dean grunted his reply and then turned his attention back to Ginny. "So, have any plans for tonight?"

"That all depends." Ginny said leaning on the counter

"Depends on what?" Dean asked also leaning forward, their faces only inches apart.

"On whether you call that number I gave you."

"Hm. Interesting. And if I do call that number, will you be answering? I mean, wouldn't wanna get a wrong number now would I?"

"I can see your point. But believe me, that is not a wrong number you got there." Ginny's hand snaked the short distance across the table top and patted his jacket pocket.

"Well in that case, reckon you'll be hearing from me Ginny."

"Sure hope so handsome." Ginny's tip of her tongue came out and seductively traced the outline of her lips. "But you've got me at a disadvantage already."

"Yeah?" What's that?" Dean almost whispered.

"How about I put a name to your sweet face?" She closed the distance between them and lightly brushed Dean's lips with her own.

"Lemme rectify that for ya. It's Dean."

"Well Dean, until later then." Ginny said, whispering into Dean's ear. "Oh, and breakfast's on me."

"Uh, is that tomorrow's breakfast? Or today's?" Dean asked.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" Ginny said, a small smile playing on her lips.

Dean stood up and with one last smile left the diner.

As he approached the Impala, he spied Sam leaning against the door, arms folded.

"Ah Sam! What a fine day it is!" Dean said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess." Sam replied rolling his eyes. "Can we please head on back to the motel now. If you recall, we still have a case going on here."

"Don't get yourself all worked up there dude. All work and no play makes Dean a dull boy."

Once in the Impala, they headed in the direction of the Border Inn.

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**_I would really love to hear your thoughts on my little story so far. I hope this chapter didn't bore you too much but I had to introduce Ginny to you all!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As Dean parked the Impala in front of their room and exited the car, they were confronted by Paul and Marina Burke – the motel proprietor. "Is everything okay? When Ross called from the station, he was in a real panic." Paul asked.

"Sorry but can't give you any information at this time." Sam said, with a tired smile.

"Paul! You should know better than to ask! They are agents for the Government! They can't tell the likes of you anything!" Marina said, slapping her husband on the arm.

Paul rolled his eyes and guided his wife away with an apologetic smile.

Sam opened the door to the room and tossed the key down on the bedside table, then collapsed onto the unmade bed. "Think I'm gonna catch me some shut eye."

"Sounds like a plan." Dean said also falling onto his own unmade bed. "After all, wanna be fresh for my date tonight."

"And while you're having your date, I'll be here trying to work out what is going on around here." Sam said.

"I could always ask Ginny if she has a sister…."

Sam didn't let Dean finish. "I'll give that miss thanks."

Over the next few minutes, the brothers Winchester drifted off to sleep.

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Dean's eyes fluttered open as he slowly came to wakefulness several hours later to the sounds of Sam lightly snoring. He stretched and checked his watch, noting it was close to 1pm in the afternoon. Dean sat on the side of the bed contemplating what to do first – get something to eat or make his date with Ginny. A call from nature made his decision. He made his way to the small bathroom, gently closing the door so as to not wake up Sam.

When Dean emerged from the bathroom Sam was still lying on the bed but awake.

"Wakey wakey sunshine." Dean said, sitting down to pull on his shoes. "You hungry? Gonna go get some food."

Sam shifted his gaze to his brother but before he could reply, Dean had picked up the keys to the Impala and was headed out the door.

Sam rolled his eyes, sighed and mumbled, "Don't get me a burger. Don't want a burger. But I guess I'll have to eat a burger."

Dean returned a little while later and tossed a greasy brown bag towards Sam. "Here ya go."

"Lemme guess, a burger?" Sam asked.

"What else?" Dean replied as he sat at the small table. "So, what's the deal with the happenings in this town? Anything new?" He asked around a mouthful of food.

"You know as much as I do about all of this. What we really need to find out is how it ended up here from South America. There has to be some kind of a connection – something or someone in town that its connected to. I'm gonna need to have another look around near the cave."

"Well, I figure you might be doing that without me tonight dude. I've got me some serious comfort coming my way with the lovely Ginny." A huge smile spread across Dean's face as he took out the napkin with Ginny's number on it and began to push the buttons on his phone.

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Ginny checked her watch again and then took another sip of her beer. She hoped to God she wasn't going to get stood up. Spending the evening alone at T & D's Tavern wasn't her idea of a good time. Her mood was beginning to get nasty when she spied Dean walking through the tavern doors. She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Dean made his way towards the table she was sitting at and slipped into the chair next to her. "How you doin'?" He asked casually.

"I'm a lot better now. Thought you were gonna stand me up Dean." Ginny said bluntly.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. But I'm here now. Want another beer?" He asked.

_Guess I shouldn't ask why he's late then, _Ginny thought. "Wouldn't say no."

Dean got the attention of the waitress and ordered two beers.

"So Dean, what brings you and your friend to this little part of Nevada?" Ginny asked.

"My friend Sam and I are FBI Agents investigating the recent killings up at the caves. Seems like Baker's population is decreasing rapidly. And what about you?" Dean asked taking a drink of his beer.

"Me? Not much to tell really. Born and bred in Baker and one day hope to leave all this crap behind. This town is way too small. I need to see what's out there. It's gotta be better than what I've got here."

"You sure about that?" Dean asked seriously.

"You bet. Nothing's holding me here – in fact, nothing's been holding me here since I was 16; that's when my mom just up and moved on one day. Had enough of the family life and wanted more but didn't want a kid tagging along. To this day, I have no idea where she is and I don't want to know. She's outta the picture - period." Ginny sighed and reached for her drink. "And that's enough of that. You hungry?"

"Always." Dean replied with a huge smile.

Ginny picked up the menu and began to scan it. Not seeing anything she liked, she tossed it back down on the table. "Tell you what. What don't we have another drink and then go on back to my place? I can cook you a nice steak."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Steak?"

"Yeah – steak, beer and me. What more could you ask for?" Ginny said as her foot gently rubbed up Dean's leg. "In fact, let's just skip the drink and go back to my place now. My car's parked out front."

"Lead the way!" Dean's impression of Ginny was getting better by the second. He followed her out to the parking lot, keeping a close eye on her butt from behind.

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After Sam had dropped Dean off at the tavern, he made his way back to the motel, fully intent on spending the evening scouring for any information that would help solve what was happening in town.

As he was making his way from the car to the room, an uneasy feeling crossed over him. His steps became slower as he looked around – hunter instinct on full alert. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he placed the key in the lock but stopped again. As he began to turn around, something heavy and hand smashed into the back of his head, knocking him out cold. He fell heavily against the door and slid down.

Sergeant Dan Mercer stood with the baseball bat in his hands looking down at Sam's inert body. "You were warned." He whispered, his eyes vacant and staring. "Now you will pay the price."

Sam's first thought was who was playing the drums on his head. He slowly opened his eyes and wished he hadn't as the pain pulsed faster through his head. He groaned and tried to put his hands up to his aching head. His hands wouldn't move. Slowly he came to the realization that he was bound. Every turn of his head brought a myriad of colors shooting through his vision. He could just make out a small circle of light in the distance and the shadows of someone moving.

Sam managed to get to a sitting position, his back up against a cold hard surface. As his vision cleared further, he could see that he was resting up against the wall of a cave.

The shadowy figure took a hold of the lantern and began to move towards him. As the light came closer he could make out who was approaching – Marina Burke. She stood in front of Sam, gazing down at him. "Why did you come here? You're not who you say you are. You should have left well enough alone. Now you will have to be put out of the way along with your friend."

Sam stared at the woman in front of him, noting the cold hard look in her eyes. "Why are you doing this?" He asked.

"Why am I doing this? For my family – for my ancestors. Centuries passed and we were left alone to live our lives; perform our rituals and then stupid, ignorant people invaded our lands and stole from us everything they could. They even stole our children and claimed them as their own. I was chosen; chosen to seek revenge for all the torment they put us through. Coming to our land and destroying our villages, putting to death innocent souls. Through our ancient rituals, I can at least right some wrongs that were committed."

Marina closed her eyes and began to chant, lifting her hands above her head. Sam began to look around him, trying to find a way to escape when he spied Dan Mercer coming towards them, his footsteps heavy and staggering, the baseball bat still in his hand.

Marina turned to Mercer, and said, _"Crantsakou frelos heelosim pratyun Sheksah!"_

Mercer turned towards Sam, bringing the baseball bat up above his head, ready to strike at Sam.

**Please me know what you think so far - reviews are welcome!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Dean leaned back on the kitchen chair and blew out a long breath. "Whoa! That was so good!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed." Ginny said, standing up to clear the table.

Dean leaned forward and grabbed her wrist gently, pulling her onto his lap. "What say we leave this for the time being?"

"Ah huh. Leave dirty dishes and do what?" Ginny asked.

"Well, you're a woman; I'm a man…." Dean began but Ginny put a finger against his lips.

"Let's cut to the chase shall we?" She leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips against his; then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Follow me." She stood up straight and turned to leave the kitchen, flicking off the light switch and not even turning to see if Dean was following. He was.

At the entrance to her bedroom, she stopped and turned to face him; slinging her arms around his neck. "Hope you're not planning on going anywhere too soon. I've got plans for you and me for the rest of the night"

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Sam's eyes watched as Mercer held the baseball bat above his head and then followed the bat as it came down in a swinging arc towards him. At the last second, he managed to roll to the side and heard the deadly sound of the bat smashing into the wall. Without hesitation and grunting with the effort, Sam lashed out with his bound feet, knocking Mercer off his own feet and watched as he toppled over, dropping the bat.

A low growl emitted from Marina as she witnessed Mercer hit the ground. "You fool! Can't you do anything right?" She screeched and picked up the lost baseball bat and turned to Sam. "I will not make the same mistake!" She swung the bat at Sam, catching him on his right shoulder.

Sam felt the intense pain and heard the cracking sound as his collarbone snapped. With gritted teeth, he tried to work through the crippling pain but before he had time to regain his composure, Marina had raised the bat again and brought it down again on his injured shoulder. This time, Sam let out a groan as the pain intensified and his vision began to blur.

Marina was relentless as she repeatedly smashed the baseball bat into Sam. After breaking his collarbone, she then began to hit him repeatedly all over his body.

Sam, barely conscious now, knew he was in a lot of trouble. He was sure, that along with his collarbone, his left kneecap was smashed, he was probably suffering from concussion and perhaps there were internal injuries as well. His last thought before falling unconscious, was of his brother Dean who has no idea where he was or what was happening. _Oh God Dean, help me._

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Dean gently pushed Ginny down on the bed and fell on top of her, trailing small kisses down her throat and shoulder as Ginny ran her hands over Dean's bare back. It had been a while since she'd been with a man and she was going to enjoy every second of it. She was intending for this stranger named Dean to spend the entire night with her.

Dean's attention was fully drawn to the woman he was with – well, at least he thought it was. As he closed his eyes, he had a flash of something. _A baseball bat?_ He opened his eyes and blinked several times.

"Is something wrong?" Ginny asked as Dean rolled from on top of her to lie beside her.

Dean took a deep breath and turned on his side to look at her, trying to get the image of the baseball bat out of his mind. "Nah." He smiled, dragging her closer to him. Then it happened again. This time, the vision was more intense – the baseball bat being raised in the air and then coming down swiftly – coming down and crashing into Sam; again and again. Dean sat up quickly. "I gotta go!" He said getting off the bed and picking up his forgotten t-shirt.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked also getting off the bed.

"Something's wrong, really wrong with Sam." He said pulling on his boots.

Ginny looked confused and a little flustered. "Sam? Your partner? What do you mean?

"Look I haven't got time to tell you all about it now. I need to borrow your car. I've gotta go now!"

"Sure." She said, seeing the concern on Dean's face. She also pulled on her lost clothes and shoes and grabbed her car keys from the dresser. She then followed Dean to the front door and handed him the keys.

Dean flung the front door open and ran the short distance to where Ginny's car was parked in the driveway. As he slid into the driver's seat, Ginny slid into the passenger seat.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dean asked.

"Now don't you go all macho on me Dean and gimme all that crap about staying here and waiting!" Ginny snapped at him. "I'm not as useless or stupid as you may think!"

"Damn it! Just get outta the car. This doesn't concern you!" Dean said with frustration.

"If you wanna leave me behind, then you're gonna have to physically remove me from this car! It's either that or start driving!" Ginny said crossing her arms and staring straight ahead.

Dean gritted his teeth, forced the key into the ignition and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. With a squeal of tires, he reversed the car into the street.

"Where are we going?" Ginny asked.

"The caves." Dean replied not taking his eyes off the road ahead.

"Why the caves?"

"There's where my brother is."

"Your brother? I thought Sam was your partner?" Ginny frowned.

"I'll explain later." With that, Dean lapsed into silence on the short drive to the Lehman Caves.

**Thank you so much for reading my story! Could you please leave me a reivew? I'd love to know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Dean pushed the small sedan to its full limit on the drive to the caves. Upon entering the parking lot, he came to a screeching halt. He exited the car and ran towards the gated entrance. He rattled the locked gate. "Damn it!"

Ginny appeared beside him, sporting a small torch. "Hold this." She said pushing the torch into Dean's hand. She reached into her pocket and produced what looked like a key of some sort. She held it up in front of the torchlight.

Dean frowned at her. "You've got a key?"

"Yeah, well, sort of. It's a type of skeleton key. I kinda lose my keys a lot." She pushed the key home in the lock and turned it. "Tell you all about it another time." An audible click was heard and Ginny pushed the gate open.

Without hesitation, Dean charged through the open gate with Ginny hot on his heels. They scoured all the passages but found no trace of Sam.

Back at the entrance to the cave, Dean shone the small flashlight around, trying to find a clue as to where his brother could be. "Where the hell is he?" He hissed under his breath.

Ginny looked around and then grabbed Dean's arm. "The other cave! This way!" She took off up the heavily overgrown path with Dean right behind her.

About half a mile later, they arrived at another cave entrance; this one also had a gate but was unlocked and wide open.

Dean took the torch from Ginny and began to slowly enter the cave – his ears alive to sounds around him. He turned back to Ginny and held a finger to his lips and mouthed the words, _follow me_.

Ginny nodded and fully intended to keep Dean no less than 6 inches away from her.

As they made their way deeper into the cave, the sound of muted voices reached their ears. Dean clicked off the torch putting them both into darkness. As their eyes adjusted, Dean could just make out a glow not far in front of them. Edging slowly forward, shapes began to take form.

Dean could make out two standing forms and began to edge forward again. A few more slow and deliberate steps and he could make out who the two forms were. The big one was definitely Sergeant Mercer; the smaller one, a woman – familiar but Dean couldn't just make out who she was.

He watched as she raised something above her head and brought it down with force. Dean sucked in a quick breath as his earlier vision came back to him – a baseball bat – Sam!

Without hesitation, Dean lunged forward and covered the distance between him and Marina in less than 5 seconds. He reached out, grabbed the baseball bat and ripped it from her grasp then threw it away. "Get away from him you bitch!" Dean yelled through clenched teeth.

It took Marina all of a few quick moments to realize that the baseball bat was no longer in her grasp as she heard Dean's words that were directed at her. She swung around to face him; shock registering in her eyes.

Dean grabbed her arm tightly, murder written across his face. "You'd better say your prayers lady."

"Let go of me!" She squealed at him.

Dean looked past her to where Sam lay on the ground – not moving. "I swear lady, if you've hurt my brother….."

Marina had a look of pure hatred on her face as her eyes turned to look at Mercer. _"Kalunas chernar! Crantsakou frelos heelosim pratyun Sheksah!"_

Before Dean could react, Mercer had grabbed Dean's shoulder and swung him around. Mercer placed his hands around Dean's throat, trying to squeeze the life out of him.

Dean grabbed at Mercer's huge meaty hands, trying in vain to make him release his hold. As Mercer intensified his grip, Dean began to see stars as his body was being starved of much needed oxygen. If something didn't happen soon, Dean was going to pass out.

Ginny stood awestruck at what she was witnessing. Not knowing how she could help, she took a few tentative steps forward, her mind ticking over with ways to do something "Oh crap!" She whispered and she ran forward and jumped straight onto Mercer's back. "Let him go!" She screamed as pulled on his hair and scratched at his face.

But Mercer did not stop, in fact, his grip tightened even more around Dean's throat. Ginny increased her efforts, her hands seeking out Mercer's eyes as she began to try and scratch his eyes out.

Marina grabbed at the back of Ginny's shirt, trying to dislodge her from Mercer's back. After several tries, she succeeded. Ginny came tumbling off Mercer, falling back on top of Marina.

Ginny scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping over the abandoned baseball bat. She stooped down and collected the bat, brandishing it like a true professional. Her head turned from side to side, trying to decide what to do. She opted for trying to get Mercer away from Dean.

Ginny took a deep breath and swung the bat at Mercer's back and then immediately turned her attention back to Marina who was on her feet and glaring menacingly at her.

"If I were you lady, I'd be getting outta my way before I start swinging!" Ginny snarled at her.

"You'll pay for this!" Marina screamed as she backed away into the shadows.

Ginny then turned back and once more began to pound Mercer with the baseball bat. After several blows, Mercer finally released his hold on Dean who immediately dropped to the floor of the cave, gasping.

Mercer turned towards Ginny who took a few tentative steps backwards as he stared vacantly at her. Then she did the first thing that came into her head, once more she swung the bat with all her might contacting with his ribs. An audible crunch was heard almost turning Ginny's stomach but again, she swung the bat and brought it down on the junction between his neck and shoulder.

The Sergeant fell to the ground immediately without another movement. Ginny stood over him, still paralysed with fear at the prospect she may have just killed the chief of police.

As his cloudy vision cleared and his breathing became steady, Dean looked around him in the frail light that was offered by the hurricane lanterns. His eyes settled on the crumpled form of his brother. Without any hesitation, he jumped to his feet and ran the short distance, kneeling down beside Sam. "Sammy!" Dean gently pushed the hair away from his face. "Wake up Sam….."

Sam groaned as his eyes fluttered open but no words came out. His body was aching from top to bottom and all he wanted was to close his eyes and again drift back off to sleep. Perhaps next time he woke up, things wouldn't hurt so much. Whoever was trying to wake him up was beginning to piss him off. His eyes began to focus and recognised the face in front of him was his brother, Dean. "D..De…" He tried to lift his hand but it wouldn't move.

"Hold on Sammy. You're gonna be okay." Dean said softly. He gently untied the ropes binding his brother's hands.

Ginny knelt down the other side of Sam and grimaced when she looked down at his battered face. "We need to get him to the hospital. I'll call for an ambulance." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

"No time for that." Dean said. "keys." Dean held out his hand.

"No. You stay here with him. I'll get the car as close as I can." Without another word, Ginny hopped to her feet and took off to the entrance of the cave.

Sam began to lose consciousness again but Dean continued to talk to him, encouraging him to stay awake.

**_SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN_**

Ginny's lungs were burning by the time she reached the car. She took a few seconds to gulp in some much needed oxygen for her aching lungs before getting into the car and roaring the engine into life. She pushed the car up over the curb and careered the vehicle along the narrow path towards the cave entrance.

She left the engine running as she ran back up the tunnel to where the brothers were. "Car's at the entrance."

Dean leaned close to Sam, "Sammy, we need to get you out to the car. It's gonna hurt like a bitch but we need to move you. Okay?"

Sam tried to train his eyes on his brother. His brain was trying to comprehend what had just been said to him. Through his foggy state he managed to realize what his brother was saying to him. What was to come would hurt. Sam slowly nodded his head.

"Dean, what about him" Ginny motioned towards the crumpled body of Sergeant Mercer.

"Later." Was all Dean said as he gently put his arm behind his brother's back and brought him up to a sitting position with only a few groans from Sam. Between Ginny and Dean, they managed to somehow get Sam up and with much effort half dragged half-carried him slowly out towards the waiting car.

As they maneuvered Sam's lanky body into the rear seat of the car, the pain overtook him. His eyes fluttered closed as head lolled backwards. Dean jumped into the back seat beside his brother and Ginny took her place in the driver's seat.

She took the drive to the hospital carefully hoping not to hurt Sam any more than he already was. All up, it took her 20 minutes. As she drove into the emergency parking bay, she turned back to Dean. "How's he doing?"

Dean's look was grave. "Not so good."

"I'll get some help." She ran into the hospital and up to the front desk. "Help! We need home help!"

The duty nurse looked up from her desk. "What's the problem?"

"Out in the car, he's been beaten up! We need to get a doctor quick!" Ginny said quickly.

The nurse picked up a phone and waited for the response. "We need a doctor stat! Emergency!" She hung up and turned back to Ginny. "Show me where."

They both ran out to the car followed closely by a doctor and 2 orderlies pushing a gurney. Dean was sitting with his brother cradled in his arms in the back seat.

Very carefully, they managed to extract Sam from the back seat of the car and onto the waiting gurney where he was whisked away in the triage room.

Dean made to follow them but was stopped by the duty nurse. "I'm sorry sir, you can't go through."

"Like hell! That's my brother!" Dean hissed at her.

She softly shook her head. "Yes, I know you're worried sir, but please, you need to wait out here. Someone will come out and talk with you as soon as they can."

Ginny gently took hold of Dean's arm. "Dean, let them do their job. Sam will be okay." Ginny looked at the nurse and smiled apologetically.

Dean's shoulders slumped as he resigned himself to the fact that he had to play the waiting game. Dean turned and slowly walked over to the waiting area and sat down in one of the rather sterile looking plastic chairs.

**I would really love to know what you think, so could you please leave me a review thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Dean was patient for the first 5 or so minutes of the waiting game but as in previous times, he'd never had the patience to play that damn stupid game. He quickly rose from the chair and walked over to the nurse who was sitting behind her desk. She looked up questioningly at him.

"Any news on my brother yet?" Dean asked impatiently.

"I'm sorry sir you'll just have to wait until the doctor comes out to see you." She replied.

Dean sucked in a long breath, he could feel the anger beginning to rise again. Right now, all he wanted to do was grab the nurse by her scrawny neck and throttle her. Was he asking too much? All he wanted to do was see his brother Sam and know that he was okay.

Once more, Ginny came up beside him and gently placed her hand on his arm. "Is there somewhere we can get some coffee?" She asked politely.

"Of course. The cafeteria is just up the end of that hallway over there." The nurse gave Ginny the _I understand_ look.

With a little more force, she managed to guide Dean away from the nurse and towards the hallway before Dean shook off her guiding hands.

"Lemme alone will ya? I don't want any damn coffee!" He growled. "I jus' wanna see my brother!" He stomped back to the waiting room and slouched down in a chair.

Ginny sighed, ran a hand over her tired eyes and then continued up the hallway towards the cafeteria. She returned a short time later holding Styrofoam cup. She stood in front of Dean and held the cup towards here. "Here have some coffee."

Dean looked up at her and without a word took the cup. Ginny sat down beside him, not saying anything. The silence stretched out to several minutes.

"I'm sorry about before." Dean said quietly.

"No don't apologize. If it were me in your shoes, I would be tearing my hair out by now. Either that or I would have been looking for something very big to hit someone with very hard!" Ginny said.

Dean looked sideways at Ginny, a small smile playing on his lips. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Anytime." She said. They lapsed into silence again.

Dean had to wait another 20 minutes before someone emerged from triage. Doctor Menzies sighting Dean and Ginny made a b-line for them. Upon his approach, Dean quickly got to his feet and looked expectantly at the doctor.

"Well now Mr….." The doctor began but gave Dean a questioning look.

"Uh, Winton – Dean Winton."

"Yes Mr Winton, I've done my initial examination of your brother's injuries and things are quite serious. His internal injuries are very extensive; in fact we're preparing him for surgery as we speak. He also has multiple external injuries and fractures. What the hell happened to him?" Dr Menzies frowned at Dean.

Dean had to think quickly. "He was attacked by some thugs." Dean offered.

"Hm, well, I can honestly say they did a very thorough job on him. If you'd like to follow me I'll take you to see him before he goes into surgery."

Dean turned to Ginny but before he could say anything, she spoke first. "Go see your brother. I'll wait here."

He gently cupped her face in his hand and then raced to catch up with the doctor.

Dr Menzies led Dean through to the triage room where Sam was lying on an examination table. Various wires were attached to him monitoring his condition. Dean looked at all the machinery, suddenly feeling very afraid for Sam.

"I'll give you a couple of minutes with him." Dr Menzies said before turning away.

Dean walked up beside Sam, noting how pale and drawn his features looked in amongst all the bruising that was covering his face. He gently reached out and pushed some stray hair from his face. Sam stirred slightly, a low moan escaping him.

"Sam? Sammy? Can you hear me?" Dean whispered. Sam's eyes fluttered open and tried to focus on his brother. "Hey there!" Dean smiled at him.

Sam's hand found his brother's hand. Sam tried to speak but couldn't seem to get the words to come out.

"It's okay Sam. Don't try to speak, everything's gonna be okay, I promise. You just take it easy. They're gonna take you to surgery but I'll be here when you wake up, okay?" Dean smiled a smile that he didn't think he had the energy to do but he had to let his brother know that everything would be okay.

Dr Menzies appeared at the foot of the bed. "They're ready for him now."

Dean tried to release his hand from Sam's but Sam's grip tightened. "D-De…"

"It's okay Sammy. No-ones gonna hurt you – they're gonna help. Okay? I'll be here next time you open your eyes, I promise." Dean looked down at his brother, the lump in his throat almost constricting his breathing.

Sam released Dean's hand and closed his eyes. Without waiting, Dean left the room and made his way back out to where Ginny was still waiting for him. He slumped down in the seat beside her as she anxiously looked at him.

"Well?" She asked.

"Huh?" Dean turned to look at her.

"Hello? Earth to Dean! How is your brother?" She asked again.

"He's going into surgery." He let out a long slow breath. "This is going to be a long night."

"I know what your answer is going to be but I'm still going to ask it…. Why don't you come back to my place and get some rest for a couple of hours? We can leave my phone number with them and get them to give you a call when he comes out of surgery." Ginny sat there waiting for the violent explosion but none came.

"Nah. I'll wait it out here. But thanks for the offer. Why don't you head on home though?"

"Nope. But I'm gonna head on outside to catch some air though. Come with me." Ginny said, reaching for Dean's hand.

Without a word, Dean let Ginny lead him outside to where her car was still parked haphazardly in the emergency parking bay.

"Guess I should move my car." Ginny said.

She made to move towards the open door of the car, when Dean grabbed her arm. "Wait a sec. I just wanna say thanks." She looked at Dean and could see he was close to being an emotional wreck. "Back there in the cave….."

Ginny held up a hand. "Please, stop that right now. I did what I had to do. If the tables were turned, I'm sure you'd have done the same thing. So let's just leave it at that shall we?"

Dean couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Still wanna say thanks though." He pulled Ginny into his arms and kissed her. As he drew away from her, Dean left her speechless. "You go move the car, I'm gonna head back inside."

Ginny made her way to her car and sank down in the driver's seat. Her heart was racing as she relived that simple, wonderful, outstanding, awesome, magnificent, perfect kiss that had just been given to her. She sat staring out the windshield trying to regain control of her senses.

"Oh get a grip girl. It was just a darn kiss!" She mumbled to herself. She got the car moved into a parking space and slowly made her way back into the waiting area to join Dean.

**I would really appreciate any reviews you want to give!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Dean and Ginny spent the best part of the night in those cold uninviting plastic chairs waiting for news on Sam's condition whilst consuming large quantities of coffee.

It was nearing 6am when a nurse approached them as they sat in a sleepless stupor. "Mr Winton?" She asked softly

Dean stood so quickly his chair skittered backwards several yards. "Yeah! Any news on my brother?"

"Yes. He's out of surgery and heading to recovery. If you'll follow me, I'll take you up to the recovery waiting room."

Dean ran his hand through his hair, sighing heavily. He began to follow the nurse towards the elevators when he noticed that Ginny was not beside him. He stopped and turned back to where she was still sitting in the waiting area. "You coming?" He asked.

"It's okay – you go and see him. I'll wait for you here." She replied.

Dean frowned at her and then turned back to the nurse waiting at the elevator. "Gimme a sec." He walked back to Ginny. "Do you realise that things could have been a lot difference if you weren't there last night?" He held out his hand to her. "Come on."

"Look Dean, he's your brother. I don't know him and he doesn't know me. So you just go and see him okay? I'll wait here." She replied.

Dean blew out a long exaggerated breath and grabbed a hold of her arm, pulling her to her feet. "Don't be such a pain! I want you to come and see Sam with me now."

"Okay, okay! You win! I'll go with you!" Ginny said, feeling a little overwhelmed at Dean's insistence that she accompany him.

Without another word, Dean turned and walked over to where the nurse was waiting patiently by the elevators with Ginny in tow. They made their way up to the next floor, following the nurse down a short corridor that opened up to a small waiting room fitted out with a comfortable looking sofa and several over-stuffed armchairs.

"Just wait here and Dr Menzies will be with you shortly." The nurse left Dean and Ginny alone.

Ginny took one look at one of the armchairs and gratefully sank down into it. "Ooh! After those hard plastic chairs downstairs, this is just like heaven on a stick!"

Dean chose to stand and wait for the doctor, feeling that if he sank into one of the chairs, he'd never get back up again. After only a few minutes of playing the dreaded waiting game again, he began to pace the small confines of the waiting room.

Ginny sat quietly watching as Dean took the necessary steps that took him from one side of the room to the other and then back again – all the while praying that the doctor came soon before she sprang from her chair and crash tackled Dean to the ground and sat on him to prevent him from driving her insane with his pacing.

Ginny was just about to spring out of her chair when Dr Menzies came into the room. Dean was in his face in a flash.

"How's Sam?" He asked.

"Sam's doing very well. He's just being moved from the recovery ward to a room. I should also advise you that due to the extent and the nature of your brother's injuries, the police had to be called and they will be sending an officer over later to take a statement. But in the meantime, if you follow me, I'll take you to his room." Dr Menzies turned and led the way down to a room at the other end of the corridor. "I must stress to you that Sam's injuries are extensive and he's been through quite an ordeal. You should only stay for a short while and then let him get some rest, okay?"

"Sure thing doc." Dean said with a grateful smile and then turned to enter the room. He slowly made his way over to the bed, taking in the sight of this brother attached to several machines that were monitoring his condition. Dean stood pensively next to the bed, closely scrutinising his brother. Sam's face was a mass of bruising and welts that continued down onto his chest and right arm. His left arm was encased in plaster.

As Dean stood gazing down at him, Sam's eyes fluttered open. Sam's mouth opened but no sound would come out.

"Hey Sammy, it's okay. Don't try to talk. Everything okay." Dean said, grateful to see his brother awake.

Sam reached out with his right hand and grasped Dean's arm. Dean leaned closer, trying to catch Sam's whispered words. "Marina….from the motel."

"Yeah Sammy, I know. I'll take care of it, I promise. There is someone here I want you to meet…." He turned and looked for Ginny but she was nowhere nearby. With a frown, Dean went to the door and found her leaning against the wall outside. "My God you are stubborn!" Dean said with exasperation.

Ginny shrugged. "I just feel like I'm intruding, that's all."

Dean grasped her hand and began to pull her into the room and up to Sam's bedside. At Dean's approach, Sam's eyes fluttered open once more.

"Hey Sam just wanted you to meet Ginny. You won't believe this but she's the one who took out Mercer."

Sam's eyes turned to Ginny and a small smile touched his swollen lips. "Hi." He whispered.

Ginny smiled back. "Hi there yourself Sam."

Just then, a nurse appeared at the foot of Sam's bed. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Sam needs his rest now."

"Oh yeah sure." Dean leaned close to Sam and whispered, "Hey Sam, you're in luck….hot nurse!" Dean saw the smile on Sam's lips widen slightly. "I'll be back later."

He and Ginny left the room and made their way to the elevator and down to the ground floor. "Want me to drop you off at the motel?" Ginny asked.

Dean's whole demeanour changed as they walked towards the car. "Hell yes. I need to get my hands on that bitch!"

"Hey." Ginny said. Dean stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry all this had to happen."

"It's not your fault! You didn't know what was gonna happen! C'mon let's get moving." Dean said getting into the car.

**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Upon arriving at the motel, Dean was almost out of the car before it had come to a complete stop. He made a b-line for the motel office, reaching to push open the door but it was locked. Dean rattled the handle several times and then peered in through the glass.

"Damn it!" He hissed. He turned and began to walk quickly towards the motel room. He noted the key still protruding from the lock and quickly turned it, opening up the door. He walked in slowly and stood in the middle of the room, his mind racing over the events of the last day.

Ginny stood in the doorway, waiting for Dean to either notice her or move. When he did neither, she slowly approached him, gently placing her hand on his arm. "Dean, why don't you have a rest? You're almost out on your feet."

"Don't know about resting but I could use a hot shower." Dean said, as he moved his neck from side to side, trying to edge out the tension that was lying there. "What about you?"

Ginny reached up and gently put her arms around Dean's neck and gently kissed him but before she could reply, her cell phone began to chime. She fished into her pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?…..Oh hi Kurt….Yeah, I'm really sorry but I'm just not feeling very well today…….yeah, I'll call you later…..thanks…..bye." She then tossed the phone onto the bed. "Okay, now where were we?"

Dean reached out and pulled her close to him. "Right about here. But you haven't answered my question."

"And what question was that." Ginny asked clasping her hands behind Dean's neck.

"I'm gonna take a shower – what are you gonna do?" Dean leaned down and began to gently place small, seductive kisses on Ginny's neck. If Dean had not been holding her, she could have well crumbled down in a heap at his feet for his lips had found the right spot – just behind her ear.

"I guess I'm gonna join you." She whispered.

**I would really love to hear your thoughts thanks!!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Sam could hear someone shuffling quietly around the room. He slowly opened his eyes and waited as they eventually came into focus.

"Ah! You're awake!" Said a soft female voice.

Sam turned and looked at the person who had spoke. He took in the sight of the nurse that had been caring for him. Sam was appreciative of the fact that she was – in his brother's words – hot. A small smile creased the corners of his mouth.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, reaching for his right wrist to check his pulse.

Sam ran his extremely dry tongue over his extremely dry lips and in a whisper said, "Thirsty."

"Sure thing. I'll get you some ice." She smiled sweetly at him and patted his wrist.

As she left the room, Sam's eyes slowly closed again. When he heard more movement, he opened his eyes again expecting to see his hot nurse returning only to be greeted by two police officers.

"Sam Winton?" The shorter of the two stepped forward. "I'm Officer Carlton. Sorry to disturb you but we need to ask you some questions about what happened."

Once more, Sam ran his tongue over his lips and croaked out a short response, "Don't know how much I can tell you."

"Yes, I understand……" Before he could continue, hot nurse came back into the room holding a plastic up of ice.

"Excuse me!" She bellowed. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave immediately! Mr Winton is in no condition to answer any of your questions at the moment!" She slammed the cup holding the ice down on the bedside table and began to usher the two policemen from the room.

As the door closed, hot nurse came back to Sam's bedside. "Now that's been taken care of, let's get you that ice." She reached beside Sam's bed and pushed a button to raise the bed head.

With a small smile lingering on his lips, he let hot nurse slip a small piece of ice into his mouth.

**_SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN_**

Ginny sat on the side of the bed running a brush through her damp blonde hair as Dean sat at the table going through the notes that Sam had made.

"I can't make head nor tails of this!" He growled, shuffling papers around the small table.

Ginny came up and stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. She reached over and took a piece of paper to look at. The picture that she saw chilled her to the core. It was a grainy photograph obviously taken many, many years ago. The picture showed two people lying on a wooden floor, their faces devoid of any emotion but blood trails ran from their eyes and formed pools around their heads. She read the caption underneath the photo, "_Townsfolk have been found in pools of blood. Autopsies revealed that the entire blood supply had been drained from their bodies……_" She quickly put the paper back down on the table.

There was a light knock on the motel door. Dean closed the laptop and stood up, crossing the floor quickly and pulling the door open.

"Ah! Detective Young! Just thought I'd call in to see you! I head the distressing news about your partner……" Dean never let Paul Burke finish his sentence.

He grabbed a fist full of Paul's shirt and dragged him inside the room, throwing him against one of the beds. Before he had a chance to recover, Dean pulled him up from the bed and pushed him heavily against the wall, pushing his arm across his throat.

"Where is she?" Dean asked through gritted teeth.

"Wh-who?" Paul asked, his voice full of fear.

Dean took a deep breath, his eyes narrowed and applied more pressure to his arm covering Paul's throat – almost making Paul gag as his breathing was hampered. "Your wife, damn it! Where is she?"

"Wha…. Marina? I wish I knew! She phoned me earlier but didn't tell me where she was. You're choking me!" Paul managed to say.

Dean didn't release the pressure of his hold. "Why don't I believe you?" He sneered.

"I'm telling you the truth! Lemme go!" Paul began to squirm under Dean's hold.

Ginny came up beside Dean, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. "Dean, he wasn't there last night. It was just Marina and Mercer. I think he's telling the truth."

Dean kept the pressure on Paul's throat for a few seconds more before he released him and stepped back.

Paul began to rub his throat, watching Dean closely the whole time. "I don't know what your problem is. I just wanted to see how your partner was. I've got enough problems of my own – I don't need any of yours."

Dean ran a hand through his hair. "Your loving wife with help from Sergeant Mercer nearly beat my partner within an inch of his life last night. So, you tell me, wouldn't you just be more than a little pissed off?"

"Are you crazy? You're telling me that my wife put your partner in the hospital? Marina?" An incredulous look crossed his features as he took a defiant step towards Dean.

"Hello? Am I not speaking English here? Yes! That's what I'm saying!" Dean spat out, also taking a menacing step forward.

"Okay, okay, time out!" Ginny said as she stepped between them. "Let's keep the testosterone in check for the moment!"

"I don't have time for this!" Dean mumbled. "I'm gonna head back to the cave."

"Is that where Marina was last night?" Paul asked.

Dean glared at him before turning and heading out the door – keys to the Impala in his hand.

Ginny grabbed Paul Burke's arm and began to drag him out after her. "If you wanna find your wife, you'd better come along." She said. "But a word of advice, do not antagonise that man!"

**_SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN_**

Due to the still relatively early hour, the only people they encountered was the odd staff member which they easily avoided as they made their way up to the cave entrance. Dean's torch light lit their way down the course of the cave until they reached the area where the small lantern was still glowing with light.

And there it was, the baseball bat was sitting innocently on the rough ground, smears of Sam's blood still in evidence. Dean swallowed hard, trying not to visualise what his brother had gone through at the hands of that mad woman.

Ginny could make out the huge body lying on the floor just out of the lamplight. She put her hand over her mouth, tears stinging her eyes and slowly made her way over to Sergeant Mercer's body. She knelt down beside him, knowing already that he was not breathing. A small strangled sob escaped her as she looked down at his lifeless form.

Dean hunkered down beside her; putting his arm around her shoulders. Ginny turned and looked at him through the tears that were streaking down her face. "IkilledhimDeanIkilledSergeantMercer." Her words came out as a whisper.

"Ginny, you did what you had to do. That's all." Dean said quietly as he pulled Ginny to her feet.

"I'm gonna be in trouble. I've killed the Chief of Police!" Ginny grabbed Dean's jacket.

"No, it was self defence." Dean said as he pulled Ginny into his arms and held her tightly as she cried herself out.

**_SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN_**

**_Please forgive the time it has taken me to get this next chapter up but work committments and a very sick computer have taken their toll!!_**

**_I would love you to review and let me know what you think!_**


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